by Nikki Frank
“Kidnapper?” Emmett stared at me with wide eyes. “What’s he talking about?”
Talon cackled gleefully. “Are you hiding from him? And I was told you were selected for your merit and the fact he’s your childhood friend. Yet he doesn’t know something so fundamental to being an imp?”
I lunged for Talon, but he deftly blocked. I skidded past him losing the opportunity to silence him. He focused on Emmett.
“Imps kidnap unwanted children and send them to the Goblin Kingdom. The ones who don’t make it back are eaten.”
Emmett shook his head. “She wouldn’t.”
Talon shrugged. “She has to. Kidnapping is how she gains back the magic she uses. If she doesn’t, she’ll die. I have to steal for the same reason. I owe the Synod an eighty-five percent cut. In return, I’m granted magic rations. Us doing these things doesn’t bother you, does it?” He thrust his chin out challengingly at Emmett. “After all, you humans are such a gentle and caring lot.”
My dad clapped his hands. “All right children enough bickering. Talon, if you’re going to be inflammatory I will petition the Synod. Emmett, I’m sorry we didn’t lay details out for you. I figured you’d been through enough. We do kidnap children, but only the ones whose siblings wish them away. And the vast majority return in short order. The sibling who did the wishing simply has to have a change of heart and want them back. None of those kids are harmed.”
Emmett gasped. “So, then it really was you who took Poppy?” Betrayal glinted in his eyes.
“I had to,” I wailed. “I have to have magic.”
Talon stretched and left his hands behind his head. “Actually, given your history together her going out last night surprised me. I thought for sure she’d be drawing from the source.”
“He’s not the source, he’s Emmett,” I growled at Talon. “He’s my friend and my charge. I’m not taking advantage of him.”
“Silence.” My dad’s irritation evident in the slight hiss to his words. “I will not tolerate constant bickering.”
Talon crossed his arms. “So, leave.” His tone with my dad was snarky and my father’s eyebrow twitched a warning. “The source . . . Emmett, has two guards. We’re good.” Talon finished with a smug, superior expression on his face.
My father grabbed the neck of Talon’s T-shirt and jerked him close. “Listen up, brat. I know your father, and I know you just reached your majority.”
So, Talon was nineteen.
“But to me you’re a kid. You will be respectful. You will also remember, regardless of her assignment, Olivia’s still a minor, as is Emmett. They will stay with parents and they will complete classwork either at home or in a school. This is a working family. You’re the guest here. I won’t warn you again. Can you behave?”
Talon wiggled free and to my surprise he had turned bright pink with a furious blush. “Yes, sir,” he mumbled.
“That’s better.”
Dad sighed and took the T-shirt my mom held out for him, pulling it on. The fact my dad had been in his boxers the whole time, hit me and I blushed, looking away. Seeing my dad in his underwear seemed wrong. But then again, if our little commotion had been a real emergency what did full clothing really matter?
“There’s a continental breakfast in the lobby if you guys are hungry,” my mom said. “I’m going to wander over there with your father, since everything is all right.” She heaved a sigh. “I desperately need coffee.”
My parents disappeared, leaving us alone. Emmett and I were both glaring at Talon, though he didn’t act bothered in the least. I stalked over and started rummaging through my bag, looking for clean clothes. I wanted a shower and I needed the private time to think of a reason good enough to get rid of Talon.
Suddenly a hand covered a large portion of my backside. I grabbed the offending arm and threw Talon over my hip and onto his back on the floor. I had meant to give him a blow to knock him out, but he twisted, threw his weight into the roll and sat on top of me. Fury surged through me. He used his knees to keep my hands at my sides, but I managed to get one loose enough to dig my nails into his thigh. When he squirmed, I got the other hand free and took a sucker punch to his goods. I don’t usually go so low, but in his case, I’d make an exception. The world would be a better place if he never reproduced.
He flopped off and gave me a grimacing smile. “You pass.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I had my doubts, but I think you’ll be able to hold your own.”
I turned my back on him and stomped into the bathroom. I refused to even hold further conversation with him. I hadn’t even been in the shower five minutes when someone knocked at the door.
“Is it too much to ask for a peaceful shower?” I barked.
“Livy? Can I come in a minute or would it be too weird?”
At least the voice belonged to Emmett. I checked the shower curtain. Good enough. “You won’t peek, right?”
“After what I’ve seen you do the last two days? I wouldn’t dare.” He came in and shut the door behind him. “Did you really? You know . . . last night?”
I dropped my head. So much for peace. “Yeah. I need all the power I can get if I’m gonna keep you safe.”
“You don’t have to, you know. You . . . uh . . . you could always take magic from me.”
“Only if you’re really that uncomfortable with my living as usual. Your magic won’t be around forever. I’m going to have to keep going as I’ve always done. I’m okay with my role. Can you be okay, too?”
He shifted and sighed. “I guess.”
“You’re taking this all really well. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m sure I don’t really have a choice. You know me, I manage.”
I scrubbed my scalp. “I know.”
I barely had the soap out of my hair when a scuffle broke out in the bathroom followed by a thud and Emmett’s yelp. Poking my head out of the shower I scowled. Talon had come in, too, taken a towel and used it to pin Emmett’s arms. Then he’d further pinned Emmett to the wall with his weight. At several inches taller, and having far more muscle, Talon had no trouble keeping Emmett there.
“Get out,” I yelled at Talon.
“Oh? Am I interrupting?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, really?” His voice implied we’d been doing more than having a conversation. He ran his eyes down the shower curtain covering my body. “I can scrub those hard to reach spots for you.”
“I’m fine. The dirtiest thing in here is you.”
“Then should I get in and you can scrub me?”
“Are you seriously this sleazy?” Talon hadn’t covered Emmett’s mouth and he let the sarcasm lash.
“No. But I seriously enjoy getting a rise out of you both and you guys make it way too easy.” He pulled a gun out of who knows where, since he was wearing a T-shirt with no pockets and basketball shorts with no pockets. “Your dad wants us to teach Squishy here to shoot, and arm him. Oh, and we’re bringing lunch back when we come. I vote for Pho.”
I rolled my eyes. “I think anything except Wonder Bread and bologna is gonna be hard to get around here. But we can see. Now you boys get out and let me finish in private.”
“Sure, kitten. But hurry up. I hate to wait.”
“First I’m catty, and now I’m a kitten?”
“Yeah, you’re a lot cuter when your claws are in.”
I threw the bar of soap at his head and he left taking Emmett with him.
A moment later he came back. “You left these on the bed out there.” My clothes were being held aloft, above the curtain rod.
“Thanks. Please leave them by the sink.”
“Ah, ah, ah. I really wanted to make you come out into the room in your towel. But I’m taking the high road
. What do I get for my kindness?”
“I won’t kill you in your sleep.”
“That hurts. I was trying to be nice.”
“So was I. If I offed you in your sleep, you wouldn’t see it coming.”
“You know, we’re partners for the foreseeable future. You might try being nicer to me.”
“Good advice. Try it yourself.” I stuck my hand out of the curtain. “Towel, please. And then get out so I can get dressed.”
A towel landed in my hand and the door clicked closed. I peeked out. I’d fully expected him to be there, giving me an incentive grin, but the bathroom stood empty. I toweled off, dressed and found the boys watching TV on the foot of one of the beds. I didn’t recognize the channel and I nearly fell over when the newscaster folded a set of caramel-colored wings behind himself.
“Holy Crap. What are you watching?”
“I brought a connection to Borderland Satellite. This is the morning news.” Talon wrinkled his nose at me. “You’ve really never watched? Have you ever been to the Borderlands?”
“Travel between plains is too difficult and uses a lot of magic. Not to mention humans to kidnap are non-existent there. So, no, going to the Borderlands is not a luxury I’ve had. I’ve never toured Europe or anything here either. I’m a normal person.”
“Wait. What are the Borderlands?” Emmett asked, confused.
“All magic folk originate from there,” Talon explained. “The Borderlands sit outside the Earthly Plain. I can’t really explain it any better.” He stood and grabbed a bag off the floor. “Are we ready?”
He pointed us out the door. Like most motor inns our room opened straight to the parking lot. I wrinkled my nose as I briefly scanned the lot for trouble and our vehicle. Whichever car smelled the worst probably belonged to Talon.
“Have you been to the Borderlands?” I asked, my curiosity piqued. I shut the hotel room door behind me and made sure the do not disturb sign faced out.
“I lived there most of my life. My dad got lucky and it’s not really necessary for him―”
“Wait, how does he manage living away from Earth?” I interrupted. “He’s a toyol right?”
“Shh . . .” Talon’s face had drawn tight.
I fell silent at once and grabbed Emmett’s arm pulling him next to me. Talon tensed and leapt into the air. His leap cleared the tops of the cars around him because he wore Hermes shoes, like me. But his were far more expensive than mine. His had been enchanted to look like he had on regular sneakers.
Talon collided with someone midair and they both fell to the ground. I pressed Emmett back into the wall, shielding him with my own body. Talon landed with his knife pressed to the throat of a harpy, her hair and feathers mixed together and her hawk-like eyes flashing.
“You were just passing through, right, pretty bird?” Talon hissed at her.
He’d jumped with incredible grace. I had to admit, at least to myself, he moved with the fluidity and power required of a skilled fighter. He’d also been telling the truth. Everything seemingly mean he’d said had been teasing. His words to this woman were nicer than most of what he said to Emmett and I, but now his voice carried cruelty and deadly intent. This man should never be taken lightly.
Talon gave her a twisted smile. “This is a warning. He’s spoken for by the Synod. Pass that around to the rest of the opportunists. I know they’re watching you to see how well he’s guarded.” He pressed the dagger deeper, until a thin pink line appeared, and red drops kissed the edge of the blade. “I’ll let you go, but if I see your face around the source again, I’ll hack your pretty little head from its perch. Follow?”
The harpy screeched, and Talon let her go. A puff of smoke and a brown hawk took off from the parking lot and soared straight for the horizon. He brushed his knees off and started cleaning his blade.
I stood rooted to my spot. The attack had been beautiful to watch. Talon oozed deadly power. My heart gave a strange throb. And here I thought I’d been attracted to Cory, but I’d been drawn in by a pretty face. Talon on the other hand had decent looks and skills I valued. My heart gave another flutter of a far more real attraction and I squashed it. I’d never met a being outside my family or the Keeler’s worthy of acknowledging. Too bad his personality sucked, or I might have had to change my mind.
Talon slipped his knife into its hidden sheath at his back and glanced over at me with a smirk. “Do you two need a few minutes?”
“Huh? Why?”
He raised an eyebrow and I took stock of my position. I’d been so focused on Talon I’d ended up pressed along Emmett’s body in a far more provocative than protective manner. I jumped away from him, beyond humiliated. Poor Emmett. I’d have to try and find a private moment to apologize properly.
Chapter 5
Face burning, I followed Talon to a very plain, white sedan. I don’t know why but with his personality I expected a speed bike or a sporty roadster or something else flashy. Emmett walked beside me, his face very red, making me feel worse.
Both guys insisted I take the front seat. In Emmett’s case the gesture was chivalry. I suspected Talon was only looking for an opportunity to tease me. Strangely he said nothing. He flipped on the stereo and again surprised me. He’d turned on soothing, hypnotic trance music. The road slid by to a soft beat which quickly put me in a relaxed state.
“Do you like the song?” Talon asked.
“Yes. What is it?”
“Borderland Electronica. The frequency has a soporific effect on magic folk which automatically puts you in a happy place. I can load some on your computer if you’d like.”
“Sure.” I shot him a suspicious glare. “What’s the catch?”
He laughed. “No catch. Am I not allowed to be nice?”
“I didn’t think you were capable is all.”
Talon fell silent and we drove through miles upon empty miles of corn and soy fields before he finally pulled off. “We’ll practice here.”
I couldn’t imagine how anyone would ever know or care. We could probably go at least ten miles in every direction without seeing a human. Talon bustled around setting up a target and Emmett tugged at my sleeve.
“Is this necessary? I really hate guns.”
“Shooting is the fastest thing to teach you. As a rule, it’s not polite to fight with a gun between magic beings. We tend to use our given talents and blades if necessary. Guns are fighting dirty. Not that we don’t cheat when the stakes are high enough. But for those of us who make a living with our fighting skills we’ve been trained since birth. Close-range fighting would take too long for you to learn.
“Still, we can’t leave you unarmed. What if something were to happen to Talon and I, or what if there’s too many attackers? What Talon did today will scare off most of the little fish but the big boys won’t be scared off yet. Do you really want to be defenseless?”
“Yeah, but guns seem so . . . I don’t know, un-storybookish, while everything else seems straight out of legends and fairy tales. Will plain old bullets really kill a monster like Buraee?”
“Uh, yeah, Emmett. When you put a projectile into a living creature it dies.”
“Unless I’m a bad shot and I just piss a monster off,” he muttered.
“Then you’d better be a good shot.”
Talon waved Emmett over. I stayed back and kept a lookout as he showed Emmett how to hold the weapon and to load and fire it. I kept a constant eye around us. I didn’t figure on another attack today. Word would get around, thanks to the harpy and the next attack would come after people had a chance to plan better or hire someone nastier. Either way, news would take time to spread. But, whatever came after us the next time would likely be more difficult to fend off.
Suddenly, I realized Emmett stood alone in the field. How had Talon slipped passed me?
He wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Stupid toyol. He knew how dangerous the situation was, so where had he gone? He must have told Emmett something because Emmett still practiced, looking unconcerned at being alone.
“Hey, kitten.” Talon’s voice came from right beside my ear.
His chin jutted over my shoulder and his body hovered very close. I had no idea a single person could be so aggravating. I went to put an elbow in his gut and it met with a very solid wall of muscle.
He chuckled. “So, what had you all hot and bothered earlier? Was it me? Or your little boyfriend?”
I got another of those funny throbs in my chest. Like hell I would tell him he impressed me in any capacity. Building on his ego ought to be a federal crime.
“At least Emmett can hit the target.” I tried to change the subject casually. “Even if his shots are all over the map.”
Talon chuckled again. “Yes, his budding skill may come in handy as long as you and I aren’t on the map.” He leaned closer. “Don’t think you got out of answering the other question. We’ll revisit that soon.”
Emmett struggled to remove a spent clip and Talon hurried over to help him. We let Emmett get off a few more shots before our stomachs unanimously agreed we’d practiced long enough. I fell in behind Talon and Emmett and let them chat. Sometime during target practice they’d become comfortable enough with each other to be talking happily about sports.
A soft scratching in the plants to our left caught my attention. I dropped low and crept through the leaves. The sight which met my eyes had me thrilling with the challenge. Two huge, probably thirty-foot, purple snakes were slinking through the soy toward Emmett and Talon.
Unfortunately, they spotted me right after I spotted them and the first drew back and lunged at me, fangs unleashed. I gave a push with my Hermes shoes and pulled the gun free on the way up to head level with the monster. One shot and the snake collapsed, writhing. The second snake took off in the other direction. I let it go. Our orders were only to kill if the creature threatened us.
